People and Teshekpuk Lake: Native Inupiat

Teshekpuk Lake and its surrounding lands and waters have been important to the Native Inupiat people of Alaska’s North Slope for thousands of years. Today, the Teshekpuk Lake Caribou Herd is unique in that the majority of its population spends its winters on Alaska’s coastal plain – this makes it an essential subsistence resource and source of protein for the villages of Ataqasuk, Barrow and Nuiqsut. In addition, the lake itself and surrounding waterways are home to important subsistence resources like lake trout, whitefish, Bering cisco, Rainbow smelt and others.

Alaska Wilderness League galvanizes support to secure vital policies that protect and defend America’s last great wild public lands and waters. Visit the website of our sister organization Alaska Wilderness Action to learn more about its legislative and political advocacy to protect Alaska’s wild places.